The Chicago Bulls continue their annual circus road trip in Cleveland tonight as they face the Cleveland Cavaliers in a Central Division showdown. These two last met on November 11 when the Bulls ran away with a victory, 96-81. The Bulls will try to continue their dominance over the Cavs.

When the two teams met earlier in the season, we got to see the matchup of two talented point guards in the Bulls’ Derrick Rose and the Cavs’ Kyrie Irving. This time around — and for the rest of the season — that won’t be happening with Rose out with a torn meniscus in his knee. The battle of the young point guards will have to wait until next season.

The Bulls are looking to gain some more consistency throughout this season. They may be over the shock of losing Rose as they snapped a four-game losing streak against the Detroit Pistons, but they have to get back to what they are known for: defensive intensity and sharing the basketball. Without Rose in the lineup other guys have to continue to step up their roles. Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich and Carlos Boozer are the core, veteran leaders who will lead the way. These guys have been around for a long time and know what it takes to win in this league. It starts tonight against a very bad Cavaliers team (4-12).

The Bulls have clawed their way back to a .500 record (7-7), but they still have to find that rhythm and continuity they had earlier in the season. The Eastern Conference as a whole has struggled, and the Bulls need to take advantage of these opportunities.